CM sets October 31 deadline to fix Bengaluru potholes; INR 750 crore additional fund promised: DCM DK Shivakumar

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 21 (HBTV): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the Chief Minister has set a strict deadline for officials to repair all Bengaluru roads by October 31 and has promised an additional INR 750 crore grant to tackle the city’s pothole problem.

Following a high-level meeting at the Chief Minister’s residence, Cauveri, on Saturday, Shivakumar, who is also the Minister for Urban Development, Bengaluru, said: ‘The Chief Minister has given officials a deadline to fix all roads in Bengaluru by October 31. He has also promised an additional INR 750 crore grant for closing potholes.’

Shivakumar added that around 10,000 potholes have been identified across the city. ‘The Chief Minister and I have held a meeting of GBA officials regarding the pothole problem in Bengaluru. With the cooperation of our officials, police and the public, we have identified 10,000 potholes in the city. I have warned the officials that strict action will be taken if these are not repaired,’ he said.

He further stated that police officials have been instructed to list potholes and share the information, while citizens can also report them directly. ‘If the public brings them to the attention of the officials, they will be closed as soon as possible. The CM has directed a separate plan to be formulated after the end of the current monsoon season,’ he said.

Acknowledging the role of heavy rains, Shivakumar said: ‘The pothole problem has increased due to increased rainfall. There are potholes in all cities of the country. But only Bengaluru is making news. The media is being controlled in other places. The media has been given more freedom in our state, and this problem is being widely publicised.’

Meanwhile, during a separate event in Ramanagara on Friday to mark the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Devaraj Urs, Shivakumar reiterated his connection to his home district. ‘I am born in this soil, I will live here and die here. I have nothing to take from this district as I belong here. My only priority is to empower my people here,’ he said.

(ANI)